CCTV Cameras

The CCTV system currently has eight cameras, six external and three internal.

Axis 2120 IP Cameras

Two of these are in use and I have another spare, these were very expensive when new but I picked them up second hand; They are quite old now but very well made and take proper auto iris CS mount lenses.

Aviosys IP Camera

This is a cheap and nasty IP camera with a built in lens that I bought in 2005, the low light performance in particular is pretty bad but considering it only cost £37 which was very cheap 10 years ago and it is still working so I can’t really complain.

Raspberry Pi Pan/Tilt Camera

This is a Raspberry Pi Model A with a servo based pan/tilt mechanism. It runs RPi-Cam-Web-Interface with ServoBlaster to control the pan/tilt mechanism and I can also control it with my Amazon Echo using a custom skill by saying “Alexa tell the camera to look left” etc. I also have a Raspberry Pi camera on the Pi that runs my 3D printer.

Android IP Camera

This is an old Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini with a cracked but usable screen that I was given for nothing. It is running IP Webcam which is a great way to turn an old phone into an IP camera. I have been really impressed with the features and stability of this and need to find some more “junk” phones.

Wireless Camera

This is your basic Chinese no name wireless camera with a receiver with standard composite output that is connected to the card mentioned below, I’ve had it a long time and have no idea what frequency it is on but it does pick up a bit of interference and the picture has never been great. It does the job over my front door though.

Wired Cameras

The remaining cameras are wired cameras of no remark that are connected to an old TE104 (aka Pico 2000) 4 channel BT878a based Digital Video Recorder card in my Debian server. These cards were relatively popular in the early 2000s but old tech by today’s standards.

Software

The software I’m using is the Linux based Motion package which works with the TE104 4 channel card and the IP Cameras. It has motion detection, live streaming, mpeg recording and much more. I use motion recording only so the cameras are only recorded when there is motion which saves a lot of disk space. The web interface for this is one I developed myself and allows viewing of single live cameras or 4 at a time on one screen as well as browsing of stills and video of recorded events. I have a dedicated 12″ monitor to view this in the area where my main computer is (where I spend most of my time) or I can pull it up on any computer, tablet, phone or one of the O2 Jogglers or Raspberry Pi displays.